Breaking The Box
by Bookmefairy
Summary: When it's either following your dreams of obeying your parents wishes what do you choose? Riley earns an accomplishment that no one else ever has. The best part is she gets to include her best friends from One Direction in on her journey as their lives become intertwined even more. But will Harry and the boys be able to save her from herself and all their consequences?
1. Chapter 1

"Why haven't you told them?" Claire had been nagging me for weeks now and even though I repeatedly pointed out that I had no intention too, she still pushed it every time we were alone together. At least in this moment I could turn on my hair dryer and drown her out. Use it as an excuse for not continuing the conversation.

When we were little we used to tell each other everything. Our bond was unbreakable and even now I can always read her, even if it wasn't a shared talent. But something changed when we hit the double digits. Almost instantaneously, I began to hate her. The bond that had once been my fallback and reminded me of home became this black hole that devoured anything to do with my twin. Eventually, well by the time we were twelve I knew we would never be able to go back to the way it was. I knew I had to pretend that I didn't resent her very existence. It wasn't her fault. It was mine, always mine. They just wanted us to be model children. Something they could brag about during their business meetings and use our accomplishments as a way to raise their status amongst their own peers. Claire had a knack for never messing up. She never spoke out of turn, had never been late to class let alone ditch an entire day of school, she loved going to all the fancy dinners and willingly let our parents choose her future for her. Well not me. Not even when I was ten. Nine years later my relationship with our parents was pretty much non existent, but Claire still stood by my side. She was a good twin and I know I should be glad to have her…and I am, it's just after being compared to her for my entire existence I secretly wished she would be the one to mess up. Just once.

"Riley, you can't just leave and not tell them. It's not like you're going to Bristol for a visit, you're flying across the country. On top of being in another country, you dropped out of Uni to do it. They're going to find out and then they'll freak out."

Throwing down the hair dryer, I turned on my heels and faced Claire through the bathroom doorway as she sat on my bed with perfect posture. Swallowing my disgust I raised my hand to cut her off before actually speaking. "Claire, they're going to be mad whether or not I tell them first. At least if I'm in another country when I hang up in dad's face there's not much more he can do other than call back. By that time, my phone will be on silent and all parental calls will be blocked. Plus I didn't drop out of University, I just enrolled in online courses and I already have a degree so it's not like I'm really a complete failure. Even though I'm sure in their eyes I'll be whatever's worse than that and then I remind myself that's why they have you."

I watched as she twirled one of her long dark curls around her finger, nervously biting her lip. If mirrors never existed, twins would be the only ones in the world with a clue as to what they look like. Sometimes I found myself examining Claire trying to find something that distinguished us from the other, but when it came to looks, we truly were identical. Neither one of us had any kind of mark other than a freckle that was above both our left wrists. Luckily since our teenage years we've changed enough both personality wise and physically that no one seemed to confuse us much anymore. Although it was fun to make dad's colleagues think they had. That was one of the only redeeming factors of having been born into this family. Secretly I worried a lot about leaving Claire behind because even though we haven't lived together in seven years I was still close by if she needed someone. Our parents kept her locked up in their prison and on a pretty tight schedule. But maybe with me leaving she would be forced to open her eyes and decide if this, if what our parents had planned for her was what she truly wanted. I just didn't understand how she'd willingly be a pawn in their political games. How someone could pretend and agree to be friends with people you would never actually like because of their pedigrees. To me, it felt like being traded or upgraded. But as luck would have it, I was born with a mind of my own and where I thought I was lucky for it. My mom and Claire just thought I was a bitch…and I was but not because I was able to form my own thought but because I always had an opinion. Once when I had stopped by the house to see Claire, my mom was drunk in the foyer and just as calm as could be told me that when I was a little girl she thought I was a bitch because her punishments never worked. They took my door off the hinges and I offered to help. When she gave away my first concert tickets and backstage passes, I made sure I could be the one to give them to the people when they stopped by to pick them up. Of course during our entire talk she stared at the glass of pinot grigio in her hand, sipping it occasionally. Never once did she look my direction.

"I just wished things were different sometimes. You never come home anymore and now you're planning to go travel for a year." I could hear the sadness coating her words as she choked back the real things she wanted to say. "I know you think I'm stupid for putting up with them and we agree to disagree but there's a part of me that knows once you leave…you aren't ever coming back."

Covering my face beneath my palms I sighed and looked towards the ceiling. As if the popcorn paint would spell out what I needed to say to reassure my sister. To convince her that I wasn't leaving her, that no matter where in the world I was she would always mean the world to me. "I'm not trying to desert you but this is something I worked really hard on. I took all those extra classes in school and started Uni a year early so I could make this work. Yeah I get to travel but I damn well deserve it. I am one of three people who were chosen for this grant! Do you even realize how much work I put into my project idea? How many hours I spent perfecting my application? You should be happy for me and proud because I didn't use any of dad's connections to get it."

"Did you use any of _his_ connections?"

The way she said 'his' made me swallow a sudden urge to slap her across the face. I had to literally bite my tongue to keep my answer short. "No, unlike you I can do things on my own."

"But last Summer and during Winter break when you were with them your trying to tell me that you never mentioned the grant or project? Seriously?"

"No, I just told him it was a project for school and I wanted to use them as my center. It makes sense when you think about it. The whole reason I didn't tell him or any of them about the competition for the grant was so they wouldn't pull any strings."

"Well do they know now or are you planning on springing the news on them when they pick you up from the airport?"

"Roll your eyes again and I swear I'll slap you. And yes queen of twenty questions they have all been informed. They had to sign some paperwork for me and I had to sign some paperwork for them. I mean clearly I had to get managements approval or else I'd be stuck here all year and now I'm not."

"Can I tell our parent's after you leave what's going on? Don't you think mom or dad would think you winning the grant was awesome?"

Oh how I wish I could say what I really feel but Claire would never be able to handle it and I doubt she'd understand. The fact that she believes I still have a chance at making our parents happy without conforming to their beck and call amazes me. "No. No. No. No you can't tell them because I want to see how long it takes them to realize we're on two separate continents and no Claire, they won't think my grant is 'awesome," I mocked her with air quotes while rolling my eyes, "they don't approve of dreams and aspirations. Therefore when they find out about my super-secret project- all hell will break loose."

"Why does hell have to break out?"

"Because they'll realize that I still don't need them. That I never did."

The silence seemed to blanket the room, smothering me slowly. I hated these moments. Guilt always tried to creep its way in. That voice in the back of my mind that I once believed to be my conscience began its quiet interrogation. _Well do you plan on coming back? What happens if they choose to publish your project? Don't you just once want to make your parents happy or proud? I_ despised that voice even if I knew it was my own. But I'm not sure it's my conscience talking or something else. I mean, I always assumed your conscience was supposed to help you…not try to destroy you with self-doubt. In all honesty I didn't need any help with that. I could handle self-doubt and loathing all on my own. The knot in my throat stopped me from continuing on, so I just walked past her making a point to look anywhere but at Claire.

"Since you refuse to tell me exactly what your project is I guess there's not much else to say. When does your flight leave?" I glanced over just in time to see her wipe tears from her eyes.

Taking a deep breath I sat down beside her on the bed, making a point to rest the side of my leg against hers. Searching for our connection, trying everything to make her understand that no matter what choices she or I made, we'd always be twins. "Later in a few hours, I arranged for a flight when Dad would be at the Foreign and Commonwealth Operations Gala where they're promoting him."

Her brows crinkled and for a split second I wondered if that's the face I made when Harry tried to explain the conversation he had with me when I was sleeping last Summer. "So you were planning to leave with or without winning the grant? I mean that gala was planned ages ago and you just received your letter a week ago."

"No Claire, that's why I waited a week to leave instead of booking the first available flight."

"Oh."

"Claire, I love you and I'm still going to love you when I'm in America. Please don't sound like this is the end of the world, at least it gives us an excuse to talk more on the phone."

"You rarely answer my calls."

"But I call you back and texting is easier if I'm in a crowded room."

"Do you need a lift to the airport? I can take you."

I shook my head and took her hand in mine. "No, I need you to go to the gala like you're supposed to and not say a word. Anne is going to give me a lift. Plus my bags are already almost all in her car."

"Of course." Claire scoffed rolling her eyes yet again.

"Look I refuse to get into this with you anymore or else I'm going to leave the country pist at you and I really don't want that to happen. So please just go get your hair and nails done, put on the stupid gown and remember not to say a word to anyone. I'll call you during my layover."

For a moment, as we slipped into a hug, I thought about staying. I never would but somewhere in the depths of my soul I wished at least a little piece of me wanted to stay. If not for mending my shattered relationship with my parents then for my bond with Claire which seemed to be breaking ever so slowly instead of gaining strength. But I couldn't, I didn't feel anything but excitement. And that voice in the back of my head reminded me again that I should hate myself for it.


	2. Flight Plans (Harry's POV)

Harry's POV

I used to hate silence. Sitting in a room with a group of people and yet no one makes a sound and you can hear when someone takes a deep breath and their fingers flying over their phones. Now I'm lucky, we're all lucky if we get a moment of peace and quiet especially while preparing for a tour and all I wanted was silence. I just needed a moment to think, to work things out in my head before Paul comes in and does a run through of today's travel plans. As far as I knew he was unaware of who Riley was to me and that the Riley who was joining us on tour was indeed the same girl I grew up with. It didn't matter that the boys hadn't figured it out because Simon had agreed to everything.

In fact he congratulated me on having a friend who seemed to grasp the "phenomenon" that was us. I guess she wowed Simon all on her own because when he called us for a meeting a couple weeks ago it seemed like we were more or less supposed to agree with the proposal. He had explained that a girl had spent over the last year going through every tweet we had ever sent, articles, and every single tumblr and tweet sent by fans in order to try and gain insight into our fandom. She wanted to get inside the minds of our fans and had an idea that would give them more of a voice and even maybe enable us to interact more.

Really all Simon had to say was that he wanted to give a girl a chance to follow us on tour and he would have had our attention instantly. A girl was different than the crew hanging around taping us for This Is Us. Honestly I quit listening after that and just nodded until he finished talking. It wasn't until he asked me to stick around after dismissing Niall, Louis, Liam and Zayn that I wished I had paid more attention. That's when he told me _who _the girl was and that's when I got pist wondering why she hadn't ever mentioned her "project" to me. We talked all the time, nearly every day and apparently she'd been keeping a very big secret.

Now I had to tell the boys who the girl was because we'd be seeing her later. Yes, I waited until the very last minute but she was my friend first. We grew up together, she moved in with me and my mum when she was twelve. Riley was…is my best friend but a part of me was still really nervous about seeing her again. Just two minutes of silence please, I'm begging. I just want to think.

"Guys pay attention. Our flight leaves at…"

I watched as his eyebrows knit together and now his mouth was moving but there wasn't any sound coming out. Liam just looked at Louis who slapped Niall upside the head spitting the water he was drinking all over Pauls paperwork.

Niall laughed shoving me out of the way before reaching for the box of tissues. "My bad mate."

"This says we have another person joining our crew at the airport…" Of course Paul finds his voice in time for us to hear him talk to himself about what he just read. "How…What? Did I miss an email."

I waved my hand in front of the wet paper trying to catch his attention. "I may have forgot to tell you about that."

Paul narrowed his eyes when he met mine. "Well please by all means tell me now, four hours before."

"Someone's in trouble." Louis mocked and shook Zayn awake. "This is somethin' you want to see."

"Look she's coming on tour with us to do a project for school." I tried to explain it but everyone was mumbling to each other.

"That's right we met with Simon and signed all that paperwork saying we wouldn't talk about her project and gave her permission to use any photos she takes that we approve." Niall joined in sending Louis into another rant.

"Well I said she had to let me…"

"Don't even finish that." I cut in eyeing them all. "It's Riley." As soon as I said her name all the guys faces changed and they each slipped into a smile. Except Paul. Paul just looked nervous and like he was hoping I'd say 'kidding' or something.

Within seconds they were all back on their phones except Zayn. "This changes everything Harry." He said with a laugh. "How long have you known it was her?"

"Since we went to sign those papers, all of you acted like I was in trouble with the teacher cause I had to stay and chat with Si."

"You do realize there's no way you woulda been able to keep that a secret right?" Liam joked trying to pretend his feelings were hurt.

"I didn't want to jinx it by telling you. Niall would have tweeted something and then who knows if she'd come."

"Actually I haven't said a word."

"Because you haven't had time."

"No, she mentioned it to me one of the last times she was here. While we were wrapping up our Up All Night Tour but I just answered a couple questions."

I squeezed my eyes shut, taking a deep breath, trying to remind myself I shouldn't be mad he knew. Especially when it didn't sound like he knew much. Fuck it. "Why wouldn't she tell me then?" I snapped.

Niall just held his hands up in mock surrender, as Louis and Liam just shook their hands 'no' at Niall and Zayn just smirked because he knew better. "Seriously though Harry, I don't think anything would have stopped her from coming even with a tweet. She stuck around when you made her come with you to X Factor and then stay with your Dad while we competed. School didn't stop her and neither did the idea of living with five guys who didn't even know each other…"

"Maybe she just didn't want to disappoint you if you liked her idea but she didn't win the grant or whatever it is exactly." Liam shrugged grinning at Niall. "He didn't even remember so she picked right. You'd never forget."

"Guys, guys get back on track. Time is ticking by, ask her later if it's really that important." Paul interrupted, taking back control. "So the mystery girl isn't a mystery, it's Riley. At least I know who we're looking for near the terminal."

"We all know what she looks like Paul. Plus any one of us could ring her if she's missing in action." Louis joked telling siri to pull up Riley's number.

"I'm going to need to check that and make sure I've still got the right one." Paul flipped through a stack of papers he'd pulled from the bag at his feet, clearly not finding whatever he was looking for.

"From experience girls don't like it when guys give out their numbers." Zayn rubbed his cheek like it was just slapped instead of by some girl ages ago.

I just sat there watching as they debated when and if it's ever okay to share a girl's number. "It's the same."

"Great. This should be interesting enough…the girl who can't actually get in any trouble and five guys who cause nothing but trouble."

"She's going to be with us for the entire tour?" Zayn asked looking from me to Paul and back.

I nodded with a smile thinking of how much crazier the whole tour sounded adding Riley into the mix. Paul was right about one thing. This was definitely going to be interesting.

"When I was in school I never came up with any ideas that would have let me tour with a band. I had to Google science project ideas." Liam noted with a laugh. "Think she can make me a real Batman suit?"

There was a slight break in the random conversations but really Louis was just waiting for Paul to speak so he could interrupt. "Moving-"

"Now Liam, there's no time scheduled for fighting crime. You'll just have to wait till holiday to test your skill." Louis blurted looking like he couldn't decide if he wanted to laugh or grin like a mad man.

"Always trying to ruin my fun Louis."

Hearing the sound of mad tweeting birds dragged me out of my thoughts and back into reality. One glance at my phone told me everything. Niall was on Twitter and tweeting me from less than a foot away. "I thought we covered this?" I asked after reading _"Hey Mofos Harry_Styles just surprised me with the best gift ever"_

Niall rolled his eyes laughing at my face. "Calm down, I sent her a snapchat for approval first. She said it was okay."

"I'm calm." I replied crossing my arms before standing up to leave. I heard someone move behind me right before being yanked backwards by my belt loop.

Paul released me as soon as he had eveyone's attention. "Guys just be ready to leave in two and a half hours."

"Didn't you say we we're meeting her in like four hours?" Zayn asked spreading out on the couch after everyone got up.

"Yes. But you guys will still manage to push it to the last minute." He pointed out, shutting the door behind him.

Louis just shrugged. "Eh, he's right about that mate."

**** Exactly Two and a Half Hours Later ****

I still wasn't sure I believed this was really happening. That I was going to be able to travel the world with Riley and my brothers. It wasn't all that long ago that we we're just pulling stunts that drove our parent's mad, making my mum rant to Riley and me about how we needed to learn impulse control. Dad wasn't as strict when we stayed with him and he was technically in charge of six teenagers. I can remember him telling mum that he had to let us boys run wild sometimes or how else were we going to become a team and it wouldn't of been fair to leave Riley out when I was the one who wanted her there in the first place. But I still think she heard my mom hollering in the background sometimes because she'd refuse to help us occasionally.

Niall came in a couple minutes after me, knocking Zayn's feet off the couch taking a seat. "Have you been sleeping this whole time?"

"I was until you just woke me up." Louis and Liam both shook their heads as they walked in the room in time to hear Zayn's response.

Liam smirked at me and Niall. "We all know sleeping beauty needs her beauty sleep."

"Zayn I didn't pack enough extra clothes to dress you for a year. I only covered you for like maybe a month." Louis said walking towards the mini fridge in the room grabbing a Corona.

Reading the text Riley just sent me made a smile because I realized she thought she was meeting us in the States and not flying with us.

**Riles: So I'll just text you when I land and take a taxi to the hotel. I have no idea when I land, just that I have some ridiculous four hour layover. **

I stopped myself from reminding her that her ticket, the same one telling her she had a layover also had the final landing time printed on it. "Guys she hasn't figured out that she's flying with us. She still has the ticket from before I changed it last week." I said brushing my shoulder off impressed with myself. From the looks on their faces I wasn't going to live that down anytime soon. I offered to send a driver to wait for her at the airport so she didn't have to take a taxi but she didn't respond.

"Your late. Weren't you supposed to be in this room like three minutes ago?" Louis asked as Paul strolled into the room wearing some large leather man purse over his shoulder, carrying a cup of coffee in his right hand.

He glanced down and checked his watch. "You're all here?" He asked scanning the room. "Where's Niall?"

"Who knows leprechauns can hide anywhere. It's the luck of the Irish and all."

"You got that right. It's a thing." Niall shouted jumping up from behind the couch.

"So you guys will push getting ready for shows and everything else to the last second but now that your girlfriend is involved you've actually been waiting on me? My how the table's have turned." He finished, swallowing too much coffee. "Damnit."

"Come on, you know you missed our antics we all pulled on the last tour." I pointed out. "Remember when she helped us line your hotel door with fake bricks and you were stuck for an hour?"

Paul nodded and just took another sip of his coffee. "Oh boy. Now all of you are older so let's stick to leaving me out of the prank wars…"

We all shook our heads no at the same time. "Crap."

"What?" Niall looked at me and then to the screen of my phone I was holding out. "Oh…that's never a good sign."

Liam grabbed my cell and read Rileys response. **"K."** "I don't speak girl but I'm still know that means she's either really mad or no, she's just mad."

I snatched my phone back and shoved it in my pocket. "I told her I'd send a driver if she wanted to pick her up when she lands in the States."

"Oh this just got so much better knowing she's already mad at you and we're about to be on a very long flight together." Louis laughed. "I don't want to sit in between those two.

"Shut up, she's going to be fine when she figures out what's going on." I threw one of the couch's pillows at Louis but missed and hit Liam which only made Louis laugh harder.

Niall and Zayn both looked skeptical and Paul's lips kept moving making me believe he was sending out a silent prayer already.

"I bet she's telling your mum all about that text right now." Liam joked patting me on the shoulder as we all made our way towards the door to leave.

"Let's get ready to have the time of our lives guys." I said following behind them towards the SUV parked out front.


	3. Caffeine and Chocolates (Riley's POV)

Riley's POV

"Come on now Riley, you're supposed to be smiling. Stop looking like it's the end of the world." Anne tried to make her voice sound light but I could hear the worry that tainted her words.

Of course it was raining, who wouldn't want to get on a seven hour flight wet? I tried to smile and chose to keep staring out the window watching the rain instead of meeting her eyes. I didn't want her to see the guilt and worry that filled my eyes. But I could feel them rushing through my blood, listening to my heart beat pound in the back of my mind. "I know and I just…I just hope it doesn't cause any problems."

"Well I'm glad you get to go and keep an eye on my baby and I know for a fact Harry's excited. On good authority I'm going to say the rest of the boys are fine with it…."

I cut her off before I made myself feel worse for feeling bad when I shouldn't. "I'm just playing all the different 'what have you done now' speeches my Dad will use this time. He'll just ignore the fact that I won the research grant and make it into a 'do you know what this makes our family look like' as soon as he hears _what _and I_ who _ my project involves." He didn't even have to call but as soon as he found out I knew I'd hear about it. I'm surprised none of his employees had seen the article yet. They were usually a lot better at keeping track of me and selling me out to my father within minutes. Usually I can tune out anything he says but for some reason I always heard when he told me I was a disgrace to the family. That I didn't care about anyone but myself. That I was a failure and why couldn't I be more like Claire. Even while replaying it in my head I could hear the disappointment and regret that made up each word.

The problem was that I cared to much when I pretended not to care at all. No one ever tells you how hard that is to learn. That playing pretend isn't just for little girls and tea parties but it's something that morphs into your everyday life. No one tells you that. All I needed was to focus on something else and I could go back to a few hours before when nothing mattered but getting away.

"Your dad tries to do his best from what he learned when he was a kid. His father was a diplomat and he's filled those shoes since before you were born. He just tries to present himself a certain way at times."

"ALL the time." I correct.

"Yeah but you didn't always make it easy on him. Even though what you were doing wasn't all that bad, you're a diplomats daughter so the people watch you and they wait. I'm really not defending what they do but he was just worried people would use your behavior against him."

"Which is why I should have just been more like Claire maybe?" I replied rolling my eyes. "Clearly I didn't cause any harm to his reputation because he's still in that stupid position of power which has gone to his head."

Anne sighed softly and shrugged her shoulders. "The two of you are completely different."

"I'm different from all of them. I have nothing in common with any of my family."

"Hush now, don't say that." She reached over and squeezed my knee. "You're a part of this family and that's why you live with me."

I reached out and grabbed her hand for a minute before letting go. "That's the best thing that ever happened to me." To this day I didn't know what Harry had told him mum but right before my twelveth birthday they showed up and asked me if I wanted to live with them. We hadn't been friends long, maybe a year. But we were best friends and inseparable unless there were a couple of dad's goons dragging me away. He was free and that's what I wanted most. To be free. Anne reassured me that she had cleared it with my parent's and Harry and I spent the rest of the day packing my room. "Like really, no one's ever stood up to my parent's for me."

"And I'd do it all over again. But enough of that or we'll both start crying. How'd talking to Claire go this afternoon? I saw her car in the driveway when I came back from running errands."

"She just wanted to ask if she could take me to the airport and attempt to convince me to stay for the sake of her and my parent's one last time. But I told her she had to go to the FCO gala and see him promoted or else we'd both be slaughtered."

"Maybe you should have left another night Riley. She probably would have enjoyed taking you." Anne was always trying to defend Claire even though she didn't need too.

"I would have been wishing I was deaf the entire drive. We talk enough as it is. Plus I would have been way more likely to cry. I just wish sometimes she was a little more like me, a little more adventurous."

"Remember honey, Claire likes staying out of the spotlight. Whereas you are more than happy to put on a show, that's why you and Harry hit it off." She slowed down as the runways and lights of the airport came into view, following traffic towards the 'departure' lane merging into the sea of cars.

Even though I wanted nothing more than to hear something positive from my dad, I couldn't stop my heart from speeding up as excitement started to flood my system. In a matter of hours I'd be hugging my best friend again and everything would we right again in my world. It'd been almost four months since I'd seen him but this time we didn't have to say goodbye. "This is going to be so much fun…"

"Try to stay out of trouble and stay focused, you're representing the University and be prepared for when people start to question who you are." Her eyes pierced through the surrounding commotion as she shifted the car into park. "Most importantly Riley keep in mind you deserve this. You didn't ask for Harry or any of the boys help and your father certainly didn't pull any strings. This is all you, you made this happen."

"Thanks, I will." Leaning over I tried my best to pull her into the biggest hug I could manage trying to knock my purse out of the way. "I'll call you when I land if you want…and wait let's take a picture so I can send it to Harry before my flight takes off." I pulled my IPhone from my back pocket and held it to the side sticking my tongue out right before snapping the picture.

"Why can't you ever take a normal picture?" Anne laughed waving her hand towards my phone.

"They're not as much fun." I didn't want to explain that when I _try _to smile for a picture, I always look like I'd rather be doing something else. It doesn't seem to matter whether or not I'm actually having fun because it always looks fake. So I quit smiling for the camera long ago and made myself at home as the girl behind the lens.

"Alright well you need to hurry and check in…" she glanced down checking her watch. "Your flight leaves in a little over an hour so you might be pushing the clock. That means don't stop and buy candy or look at the books and magazines Riley." She pulled me back for one last hug, trying to squeeze the life out of me before letting me out. "I love you and yeah, you better call me after you've landed safely."

"Check. I will call but not if my flight goes down in flames. Got it." I said winking, grabbing the rest of my luggage from the backseat. I waved from the sidewalk taking just a second to watch her pull away before her break lights flashed.

"Oh and Riley stop being nervous, my son loves you." Oh my God, she did not just shout that out of the car window. I could feel the flush creep into my cheeks when a few of the passerby's looked over snickering.

The airport employee who had been stationed closer to the door a couple minutes ago started walking in my direction. Instinctively I looked back over my shoulder making sure there wasn't someone standing behind me trying to figure out why he was coming towards me. "Ms. Walsh, I've been sent to collect you." He said holding out his hand.

Cocking my head to the side I scanned his uniform searching for his badge. "Well James, here I am but I didn't request anyone to escort me this evening."

"Maybe not but a Ms. Cox did phone earlier and asked for our services to help make sure you make your flight."

I shook my head and laughed. I should have known she'd expect my love for m&m's to interfere with making it through baggage and security. "Thanks then. Can we stop so I can get a bag of candy for my flight. I can't imagine that would make me late. Are your stores really that busy in there?" I asked trying to get the guy to relax.

"Of course Ms. Walsh. Seeing as how your father is the President of the Foreign and Commonwealth Operations we'll be making sure your bags are checked in and I'll just escort you straight through security and customs. You won't need to worry about any of that."

I bit my tongue and stopped myself from arguing that I didn't want any special treatment because of him. Might as well be polite and avoid any unwanted attention. My dad hadn't phoned me yet which meant he must still be unaware I didn't make it to the gala and I was praying I at least made it in the air before he did. "Thank you…at this point all I'd like is a cup of coffee, some chocolate and to be sitting on the plane."

"Can we stop now?" I whined after we past the third place I could have bought some damn m&m's. We'd already passed through baggage and security, we couldn't be that far away from the terminal. Since James hadn't spoke again, other than when he was radioed in we were passing a certain point, I continued texting Harry.

**James isn't letting me stop for candy. I feel like a small child. **I complained rolling my eyes at the back of James head.

**Hazza: Who's James?**

**That's not important! He's some employee… The candy is the key here anyway!**

**Hazza: Darling I'm sure you'll be able to get your hands on some sweets.**

**And a coffee. I feel like this flight's going to feel longer than it really is.**

**Hazza: You don't need the candy**

**WTF does that mean?! **

**Are you trying to tell me you think I'm getting fat?! **I joked distracting myself from the lack of caffeine and candy by messing with him.

**Hazza: Could you just look up for a moment.**

His last response stopped me in my tracks but I still waited before raising my eyes. I could see James shoes a foot away and wondered briefly why he wasn't telling me to keep moving. "I hate boys sometimes." I muttered dropping the phone in the side pocket of my purse and finally looking up.

"No way," left my lips barely above a whistle as my eyes locked in on the familiar frame maybe a hundred feet away. I watched his run a hand through his hair trying to contain those unruly curls. Frozen, I felt frozen standing there with my eyes wide and both hands covering my mouth, unable to believe that he was here. But there he was in the flesh laughing at my reaction. I dropped my carryon and just ran straight ahead. "You didn't tell me!" I screamed and before I could stop myself Harry had taken a few steps forward catching me in his arms, pulling me close for a long overdue hug. I ran my own hands through his hair and across his shoulders reassuring myself he was really there and drew him back into another embrace.

"By the way Riles, I have one of those huge bags of m&m's for you." The tone of his voice sent shivers down my spine as he whispered teasingly against my neck, both arms still resting against my waist.

"I've missed you." I confessed, smiling since I was finally able to look into his deep green eyes again.

Brushing some loose hair behind my left ear, he smiled so big he was raising his eyebrows. "Ah, I sure have missed you too."


	4. Girl Fight (Harry's POV)

Harry's POV

Burying my face in her hair, I took a deep breath taking in the scent of lavender and something sweet. A sense of security filled me remembering how it felt to feel her fit perfectly against me like we were home. As if nothing had ever changed between us, but I knew better from the look in her eyes. The one she tried to hide. When I looked up, James was standing less than a foot away just holding her worn backpack she had left behind.

He held up the bag, his eyes finally filling with recognition and I prayed silently he wouldn't want to take a picture. "Here."

"Thanks mate." I took the bag with one hand and slung it over my shoulder. "What the hell is in this bag? It weighs a ton."

Riley rolled her eyes untangling herself from me. "My laptop, two cameras that I didn't want to check, a book and maybe a couple of other random things. Try being a girl, my purse weighs just as much as that backpack. You never know what you're gonna need."

"How long are you going to pretend you can't see us?" Niall asked pushing me out of the way to get to Riley.

"You're going to have to work on your sharing skills Harry." Louis mocked, messing up my hair before pulling her away from Niall.

Her eyes lit up a little more with each hug from the boys, a smile glued to her lips. In between each embrace she managed to find a second to fix her hair, knocking the dark curls off her shoulders. I couldn't help but laugh at how pointless it was since she knew it was only going to get messed up again.

Riley looked around leaving her arm outstretched around Zayn's shoulders as Niall whispered something in her ear that made her laugh. "Where's Batman?" She asked, checking again to make sure she didn't miss him. "And Paul. Wherever you five are, he's usually pretty close behind."

"Liam wanted snacks for the flight too. Apparently neither one of you considered buying those before boarding an International flight." I teased.

"Oh yeah, where are my m&m's?" She laughed holding her hand out; I just reached out and slapped it.

"You haven't seen us in months and all you want is the chocolate. Should we worry?" Louis pretended to clutch his heart to emphasize its breaking.

"No, that means someone here has their priorities straight at least." Liam defended coming up from behind with Paul and some guys trailing only a few feet away.

"Liam, finally!" I laughed as she squealed his name like a little kid, causing Zayn and Niall to bring their hands up to cover their ears as she spun away to pounce on Liam.

"Hello sweets. Glad to have you back." He said, spinning her around like I had just a few minutes before.

When he let her go, I reached out and pulled her closer to me. It didn't mean anything but I couldn't help but notice Niall look from her to me quickly like he was expecting something. "So Paul, this is going to be fun." Riley winked, probably assuming he was somewhat less thrilled than the rest of us about her tagging along.

Fixing his glasses he let out a deep laugh, and I swear all of our security wore the same expressions. A mix between fear and an urge to laugh imagining what was to come. Paul's face turned white and his jaw dropped, his eyes fixed behind Riley and me. "Holy shit…no one told me there was two of you." He muttered and we both turned around.

Storming down the terminal was Claire, soaking wet in an elaborate ball gown. Her own long dark curls were plastered against her face and neck from the rain and the look on her face stopped my heart beating. I could feel Riley stiffen beside me as anger began to roll off her in waves.

"You never told us you two were twins…" Liam said behind us.

"Can you talk telepathically?" Zayn asked trying to lighten the tension that was creeping its way in with each step Claire got closer to us.

Riley didn't respond to them, she just stood there, her chest rising and falling in steady, controlled breaths. I had taught her that when we were just kids. When she would get so upset with herself or her parents that I could almost feel the storm of emotions that took over her; that threatened to take Riley away. Most of the time she couldn't even explain what exactly she felt, or she just didn't want to tell me. But I saw them leave their marks both mentally and physically, so I always reminded her to just focus on her breathing and nothing else. I knew it wouldn't fix anything but I'd hoped it would give her a chance to swallow and accept whatever it was she was running from. When she began decorating more and more of her arms with those jagged little lines, I told my mum and made her promise never to tell Riley of my betrayal. I knew if she found out, she wouldn't trust me and I needed her to trust me because even then all I wanted was to be able to fix her. So I did the only thing I could do, I reached out and squeezed her hand to let her know I was there, that everything would be okay and then the storm that was Claire was upon us.

I almost felt guilty for the look of longing on her face as she stared at Riley. A part of me wanted to hug her, remind her that I'd be there to keep an eye on Riley like I'd been from the start but that wouldn't probably go over well with either of the girls. Zayn was the first to take a couple steps back, Louis, Niall and Liam following his lead. They were all suddenly very interested in the kicks Niall and Louis were sporting. Paul, having been trained well kept his place as far away as possible while still being able to control the situation if anything got out of hand. I bet he didn't expect this to happen, Claire was attracting a lot of attention standing there with a pool of water forming around her feet. It seemed to be pouring out of the light blue lace and taffeta mess that made up her dress.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Riley snapped, narrowing her eyes at her twin.

"I ordered something online and it came in the mail after I left earlier." Claire shot back. The tension between the two of them was so heavy I could almost feel it choking me but I stopped myself from moving away.

"Do you want a cookie? Couldn't you have texted me or something? What the hell is dad going to say about this? Does he even know you left? I can't believe you Claire!" Riley spoke with such control I wondered what was really running through her mind.

Claire snatched the clutch purse from her side that had been hiding behind all the fabric. "Dad's fine, he's mingling with his people, he won't even notice I left Riley!" She claimed. "And even if he does I can just say that I left after his acceptance speech! Jesus I'm sorry I wanted to see you one last time, I'm sorry I wanted to give you something to remember me by!" I watched her search the contents of her clutch but Riley didn't give her a chance to finish.

"Are you kidding me? I'm not leaving forever Claire. Get over it already. I don't even understand why you're trying to pretend right now! Do you want me to feel even worse because we are supposed to be adults. You should be able to handle me leaving. Nothing is really changing."

"I won't even have the option of seeing you though, that changes."

"We never hang out Claire. We just fight, like right now. Dad says I'm selfish but you, you're the selfish one." Riley threw her arm out, motioning towards people who were taking photos of them arguing in the middle of the airport. Even I could see the headlines of tomorrow's paper revealing the chief of the CFO's twins arguing, accompanied by some of the pictures from bystanders. "And I'm going to be the one held accountable even though no one asked you to come!" She screamed finally losing her control.

"You only hate me when he's around!" Claire shouted back, glaring at me. "This is entirely your fault! It's always been your fault from the very beginning! Ever since you came along she hasn't wanted anything to do with me." Her voice raised another octave with each sentence she shouted at me and she took a couple steps closer, her eyes never leaving mine.

I didn't know what to say or how to defend myself without making it worse. I couldn't very well remind her of the times Riley needed her but she took their parents side. Of all the times she too told Riley she was an embarrassment and needed to change. But I didn't have too because Riley was planted in front of me before I even had a chance.

"Don't you dare drag him into this!" Riley pushed Claire back with a shove, no longer caring about the people watching. "Or any of them, they were there for me when you weren't. Now that I've finally done something worth the headlines here you come ready to make me look like the insufferable twin yet again."

"But you never used to feel like that!" Claire threw back only adding gasoline to the flames. I could see Paul in the corner of my eyes tightening the circle around us, trying his best to interfere with the onlookers.

Riley began laughing but not the kind of laugh you want to hear. "I always felt like that. Since we were nine and you were crowned the golden child and everything became about you and how I should be more like you. But you didn't even notice. You were too obsessed with keeping your crown that I got left behind and nobody cared unless I did something wrong." Claire just stood there glued to her spot and stared at the ground for a moment taking in everything Riley had just said.

"You never said anything." She whispered.

"I tried Claire, you just never wanted to listen. So don't you dare stand there all high and mighty like you were the one to save me ever. Harry was there when you weren't and I never once had to tell him something was wrong. You're my sister, you should have known. I shouldn't of needed a headline to get your attention." I could hear the aggravation in the truth of Riley's words. "You're like the worst sister ever."

Looking back I could see the guys eyes wide as they got a peek into Riley's life and our past before any of us had ever met at X factor.

"You wouldn't of been my pick for family either." Claire retorted, crossing her arms, covering whatever was in her hand. "I don't care what she says Harry, you are what ended us."

"Maybe that's the problem." I snapped, my voice low and hard. "Maybe you really just never listen when you should."

Riley turned on her heel to face me. "You don't need to defend yourself to her. We both got arrested trying to make her feel better a couple years ago." She spun back around to face Claire. "Remember that? Remember when you called me crying because dad made you hand out with his business partner's son and he tried to make you let him touch you? Oh, wait you let him so dad wouldn't get mad and called me hysterical. We both tracked him down, together and had a "chat". That was Harry that defended your honor that night and after we were both arrested you told dad we were lying. I really don't know why you came, what you thought was going to happen."

Claire tossed the bracelet she'd been holding to the ground and I saw the #CutCakeNotWrists printed along the sides but Riley paid no attention, her eyes never leaving her sister. She simply kicked it out of the way and got directly in her face. Her bright blue eyes were darkened with intensity as she stared down her sister who appeared to be trying her best to look fierce and keep her composure like Riley. When Claire finally opened her mouth to speak, I think we were all holding our breath. "You're so selfish Riley, everything's always about you. Dad's right, you never belonged in our family."

Holy shit. I didn't see that response coming but the way her tone faltered, I didn't think she meant it. But it was enough to really send Riley over the edge. The silent tension shattered and the noise from the airport invaded my senses and I realized just how many passengers had stopped to listen in right as Riley pulled back her arm, slapping Claire dead across the face. I jumped at the sound of her hand connecting with Claire's face and watched as her skin turned bright red with the impression of Riley's hand.

Riley glared at her twin, clenching her fists by her sides. "I hate you so much it hurts." She replied slowly, enunciating every word, with nothing but disgust in her eyes before turning around and walking away.

Now I was stuck where I'd been standing unsure of what to do. I hated for her to leave things like that with Claire, and that I was the reason they had both just lost control saying things I knew they didn't mean. So I just bent down and picked up the soft pink bracelet, tucking it in my pocket and looking at Claire one last time. "I never meant for this to happen."

"It needed to be said. One day she'll listen but I don't think it'll ever be while you're by her side pretending to be some kind of hero. She'll deny it, but it was you leaving that broke her. Not me. Because I wasn't her best friend by then, I hadn't been in a long time. I can't believe your mum wouldn't of told you about how she fell off the deep end. Riley lost it, she needed you and you weren't there but she wouldn't have told you that. She's been trying to find herself ever since then and now here she is about to jump back in head first and it's going to end the same. Because at the end of the tour, you're going to leave again and who the fuck is going to clean up the pieces? Not me." Claire's voice was soft but her expression was hard and unfeeling and her words just buzzed around in my head.

"We're going to board early Harry; I need you to come with me." Paul swooped in before I could retaliate and things got ugly between me and Claire too. Why the hell had he waited so long anyway? I followed him in the opposite direction looking for any one of my friends but they weren't around. Once we turned the corner, I saw Niall, Louis, Liam and Zayn standing around Riley as she paced in between them mumbling incoherently under her breath. Before I could get there Niall pulled her close and rubber her back in a circular motion, Zayn had one of her hands in his just silently rubbing her palm with his thumb trying their best to calm her down.

"Riley…I'm…" I didn't know what I was or what I felt but she needed to know I was there. That I wasn't going to leave her. The tears clouding her eyes broke free like a damn being released and my own heart broke for her. At a loss for words still I held out my arms and in a flash she fell into me, her tears burning against my skin as we toppled to the floor. So I just sat there and pulled her as close as I could get her to me while she sobbed into my shirt, both hands wrapped around my shoulders clasped together in a death grip. "Shh…it'll be okay." I whispered, rocking her gently. "Everything is going to be fine…I'm here now."

At the gate, Paul was talking to the flight crew and though I couldn't hear what he was saying, I knew him well enough to know his stance was all business and that he was probably telling them we needed to board now. When a lady stopped and snapped a picture with her phone, I saw the guys all look in her direction frowning.

"That's right capture a moment of someone else's misery so you can claim your fifteen minutes of fame." Liam called after her, his voice harsh.

Even after I felt Riley's breathing slow and her ragged breaths start returning to normal, she stayed buried in my shirt with her hands clinched around my neck. Zayn walked over and simply wrapped his jacket around her shoulders, trying his best to help her hide from the world. It was his simple way of silently reminding her that we were all here for her, even if none of us knew quite what to say. This wasn't something caffeine and chocolate could make her forget, or even me. For a moment I cursed my mother for why she never taught me the right things to say. The things that had the power to fix anything and to truly take the pain away.


End file.
